The Woman in Black vs The Evil Dead

Is Jaws a Horror Movie? First I will highlight the brief journey through the horror genre and the conventions that have developed. Second, I will then show how these conventions are used in the film Jaws. Let’s start with the silent era, an era based on monsters, Frakingstien 1910, Dracula 1912, The Phantom Of The Opera 1925. Without sound, there was a heavy emphasis on make – up, adding to the horror and preparing the first convention, which is the reveal of the monster.

Horror movies throughout history reflect society; its fears, events and over all state. It’s no coincidence that after some devastating event in history happens, a strain of horror movies emerge in its path: “The fright genre has traditionally flourished in straitened times. Weimar Germany, the Great Depression and the 1970s oil crisis all coincided, not so coincidentally, with new waves of innovative, inventive nightmare visions that hold up a mirror to their eras just as much as the po-faced social-realist dramas of the day” (Billson). Horror movies thrive off the current events because it’s channeling the fears society. In the article “We’re All Dirty Harry Now”, Riegler says that “violent movie genres fed on political and social turmoil” (18), using societies fears to their advantage.

Lesage, 1977). Not only semic code, but also other codes, mentioned by R. Barthes, is repeatedly used with in horror film context. Especially, enigmatic code and symbolic code play a decisive role in horror movies in order to elevate the level of fear and curiosities. As can be seen in the movie the Bhoost, unknown sound of crying and mumble form the beginning would be an example of enigmatic code. With the argument of R. Barthes, despite watching the movie without any preceding explanation, audience might predict that there must be unusual scene and narrative by hearing the sound and watching enigmatic scenes.

Movies are a favorite past time recreation among individuals. The following two authors Gianluca Di Muzio (2006) and Stephen King (2007) present opposing views towards the horror genre and its impact on society. Di Muzio article on “the immorality of horror films” and King’s article on “why we crave horror movies” are great examples on ways the horror genre affects society. Di Muzio (2006) presents the negative messages placed in horrific cinema, whereas King’s (2007) communication is about the positives. Di Muzio (2006) emphasizes dark themes, plot and ways society’s consumption to gore can lead to a sadistic lifestyle in one of his studies and critiques on the horror film Texas Chainsaw Massacre, whereas views conveyed by King (2007) towards the genre are simply recreational and meant for adrenalin addicts.

The horror genre is synonymous with images of terror, violence and human carnage; the mere mention of horror movies evokes physical and psychological torture. As remarked by noted author Stephen King “the mythic horror movie…has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized.” (King, 786). At manageable intervals, we choose to live these horrific events vicariously through the characters in horror movies and books as a means of safely experiencing the “what if”.

Throughout cinema, there has always been space in our hearts for the gore and intrigue that come from horror films. Though they come with different plots, there remains “the monster”, the character that brings along disgust, horror, suspense, and even sympathy. In Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), our monster is Norman Bates, the boy next door. This was one of the first times in American cinema that the killer was brought home, paving the way for the future of horror movies. According to Robin Wood in “An Introduction to the America Horror Film” (183-208), Bates follows the formula of the Monster being a human psychotic.

Audiences love to be scared. Horror films attempt to find some sort of trigger in the audiences mind, and develop it to create horror. Preceded by the great horror novels such as Dracula, and developed in the early nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties in Germany. From slash movies, to the post-modern psychological thrillers, horror films have evolved into an art form. This genre relies heavily on the basic horror conventions.

Formerly the villains of the classic "monster movie," these relics, who now represent all that is archaic in horror film history. The monster movie of the past makes way for the thriller or slasher movie of the present, while the monster villain gives its role to the deranged, psychotic serial killer. Friday the 13th series, Nightmare on Elm Street, Copycat and Seven have become the new classics in the genre of the horror film. With films like The People Under the Stairs, Nightmare on Elm Street, and New Nightmare, Wes Craven has proven himself to be a master of the creation of modern horror films. With recent masterpiece Scream, Craven shows his audience that he is not restricted by the typical conventions of the horror film.

paying attention to the specifically technological aspects of cinema” (326). William Friedkin’s 1973 horror film The Exorcist uses the elements of sound, and special effects to emphasize the genre of horror within the film. Additionally, this film has influenced and created norms in thematic techniques used in the modern horror genre, such as public reception ... ... middle of paper ... ...s-%E2%80%93-the-exorcist>. Heimerdinger, Julia. "Music and sound in the horror film & why some modern and avant-garde music lends itself to it so well."

The Bride of Frankenstein A horror film is a film dominated by elements of horror. This film genre underestimates a number of sub-genres and repeated themes, such as slashed themes, vampire. Horror films are designed to frighten and panic that cause dread and alarm within our hearts, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying and shocking endings at the same time entertaining us with excitement and therapeutic experience. Most horror films are designed to show the dark side of life, the forbidden and strange events that take place within the society and our lives. Moreover they deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares.